1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fishing reels, and more particularly to drag brake devices for use in fishing reels.
2. Description of the Related Art
A spool device is a part of a fishing reel. The main purpose of the spool is to store and release the fishing line. While the line winding device turns and winds the fishing line onto the spool neck, the spool device remains still. When the line is released, for example, being pulled by fish, the line winding device keeps still. While the fishing line is let out, the spool is turned by the line and continuously releases the line out. However, the line should not be released without tension. Specifically, it is beneficial to let fish feel certain resistance in order to prevent unhooking. The drag force will also exhaust the fish. However, the resistance cannot be too large; otherwise the line may fail. Accordingly, the spool has to provide an adjustable drag force.
A conventional fishing reel spool device is shown in FIG. 1. The spool device consists of a brake device 2, a turning support device, a drag adjust knob 1, and a main shaft 5 which passes through the spool. The spool device also consists of lid 31, core 32 and skirt 33. A concave section of core 32 serves to store the line.
Through central bore, the spool 3 is mounted at the front of the main shaft 5. The spool is freely rotatable on main shaft 5. The brake device 2 consists of a drag stack, a drag washer, a keyed washer, an eared washer all of which form multiple brake friction pairs in a cavity located at the front of the core 32. The drag adjust knob 1 is screwed on the main shaft 5 to form drag adjustable mechanism.
Referring to FIG. 1, when drag adjust knob 1 is turned clockwise, it is screwed into the main shaft. The more the knob is screwed in, the bigger the force applied through the coil spring to the drag stack will be. The force is converted into a brake torque acting on the drag stack. The brake torque is resisting the spool's 3 turning. While the above parts are utilized, the main shaft 5 remains still. When the knob 1 is screwed out of the main shaft, the spring becomes uncompressed, the drag force becomes zero, and so does the brake torque. The spool 3 is dragged out by fish without difficulty and the line is let out easily. The magnitude of the braking force depends mainly on the rigidity of the spring, the compress displacement of the spring, the material of the drag stacks, the friction coefficient, and the number of brake pairs.
However, a conventional fishing reel spool described above has the following disadvantages:
1) Due to the fact that spool 3 is made in one-piece, the fishing reel spool 3 can usually have only a relatively simple structure. Hence, the material consumption is large and the material cost high.
2) A single spring action limits the magnitude of brake resistance to the spool. The drag adjustable range is also limited.
3) The turning support mechanism, as shown in FIG. 2, has a cantilever support configuration since it needs to accommodate a cavity for installing a drag stack device. Therefore, the support length L1 becomes relatively short, and this affects its supporting performance.
4) The spool does not easily accommodate an outlet for water brought in with a wet line; water drains uncontrollably adversely affecting the fishing experience.